create the best type of conference (Ohio, record, teams, NCAA)

[edsg25]

If you could create the best form of conference that would be a model among the FCS schools, what would it look like?

1. how many members would it have? obviously we're talking about an even number. so given the current landscape as well as eras past, the numbers would probably fall among 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, or 16.

2. let's raise the number of football games that can be played in a season from 12 to 13 (just to give some flexibility here)....how many conference games would you schedule? would you consider a round robin if your conference size could accommodate one?

3. will you have a championship game? if so, will you have divisions or will you determine who plays in it in a different way?

4. will your conference fit into a defined, contiguous landscape in true regional setting or would it be more far flung?

5. will both public and private schools be invited to your conference or will it only be open to public institutions?

6. now the fun part: create your own conference either from scratch or taking an existing conference and either adding and/or subtracting schools from it. You determine the number of schools, the name it will use, and a list of its members.

[chadgates]

My conference is a bit different. It is the "Group of Five" conference.

The Power 5 conferences are elevated to a new level above simple Division 1 status. We can call it the "Elite division" for lack of a better term.

They are the big dogs and it is nearly impossible for any Group of Five team to crack a "College Football Playoff", and fairly tough for them to even make a CFP bowl. Houston did so last season and won handily over FSU.

In this scenario of mine, this Group of Five conference will be comprised of the "best of the best" from the 5 "group of five" conferences and will play in this "Elite division". This one conference will have all the opportunities as the Power 5 conferences and will play the power 5 teams in OOC games. No more powder puff schedules for any team in this elevated division of college football.

Every four seasons, any team playing in this conference that has not achieved at least a .500 record will be sent back down to their original conference. These teams will be replaced by the teams from the group of five conferences that have performed the best over those same four seasons.

Notre Dame does not currently belong to any conference, and remembering how, due to the almighty dollar, they have always had a "special rule" in place which kept them essentially equal to the Power Five conference teams, they will head this conference and will be exempt from expulsion.

This conference will ideally have 12 members, but in the case of a tie for the last available spot, will expand to 14 if necessary. Such is the case in its inaugural season.

Using the last four seasons as a guide, this new conference will be comprised of the following teams.

Notre Dame
Northern Illinois
Boise State
Marshall
Toledo
Navy
Cincinnati
Western Kentucky
Utah State
San Diego State
Bowling Green
Arkansas State
Houston
BYU

Arkansas State would be the cutoff as the 12th team, but Houston and Arkansas State were tied at 34-18 and therefore BYU was also added to make it a 14 team conference.

They will play a split division format with the West comprised of:

Utah State
San Diego State
Houston
BYU
Boise State
Notre Dame
NIU

And the East being comprised of:

Marshall
Toledo
Navy
Cincinnati
Western Kentucky
Bowling Green
Arkansas State

They will play the 6 other members of their respective division, as well as 3 cross division games. With a 13 game schedule as you suggest, that will leave 4 OOC games to be played.

They will play a championship game at the end of the regular season.

[Bass&Catfish2008]

The Traditional Powers Conference.

West:
Oklahoma
Texas
USC
UCLA
Washington (or BYU?)

South:
Alabama
Florida (or Miami)
Louisiana State
Tennessee
Florida State

North
Michigan
Michigan State
Wisconsin
Minnesota
Penn State

Midwest
Ohio State
Nebraska
Notre Dame
Iowa
Missouri (or Illinois?)

Each team plays four in-division games plus two members of each other division for the regular season.

Each division sends the team with the best overall record to a 4 Team Playoff. In the event of tiebreakers between intra-divisonal teams, strength of schedule will be utilized to determine Playoff candidate.

Pretty salty conference if I do say so myself. Its got all the elite tradition-laden schools such as Oklahoma, Alabama, Notre Dame, and USC. Then some solid second tier teams such as Penn State, Texas, and Florida State.

[shoe01]

iswydt

[SouthernTiger]

Here's a link that can help as well.

Build your own NCAA college football conference

[Babe_Ruth]

Originally Posted by edsg25

4. will your conference fit into a defined, contiguous landscape in true regional setting..

now the fun part: create your own conference either from scratch or taking an existing conference and either adding and/or subtracting schools from it..

Yeah, my conference has to return to natural, regional rivalries. I get the financial reasons why these far-flung super-conferences have formed.. but Maryland joining a Midwestern conference is/was terrible.

In a hypothetical world, I would cobble an upper South/Southeast conference mixing (traditional) ACC & SEC teams like Va Tech, Maryland, Clemson, South Carolina.. Leave Deep South teams in the SEC & dump the new Northeastern ACC squads (Boston College, etc). It's name would never pass the PC litmus test, but I'd hypothetically name it Old South Conference.

[Colt AZ]

If I were King, I'd proclaim that ALL schools be returned to their own geographical areas, regardless of their financial whining.

Enough's enough.